St. Mary Secondary School Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Program hosted its second semester Speaker Series in the technology-based sectors of Construction, Transportation, Health and Wellness and Energy.

The “SHSM on ICE” Speaker Series, “What’s Up in Construction?” and MAC Talks are initiatives that highlight guest speakers from the professional community offering reach-ahead student experiences in the areas of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.

The grade 12 Health Care class hosted Brenda Flaherty, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer for Hamilton Health Sciences. Flaherty, a St. Mary alumnus, outlined recent Hamilton Health Sciences system initiatives in an informative PowerPoint presentation. Her passion for health care inspired the students in discussions about her career path as an ICU nurse professional who continued her education, while devoting time to family and volunteering. Flaherty has been recognized with many citations of distinction for her community service.

In the “What’s Up in Construction?” Speaker Series, the grade 11 Construction class followed an entertaining PowerPoint presentation by construction entrepreneur Crystal Sue Brousseau who described the skills required in completing a recent house renovation project, the importance of following safety and building codes, and some of the mishaps that can occur.

The grade 12 Transportation class had a unique presentation by Ontario Provincial Police Constable Gord Nederveen, Badge 7394 of the 407 detachment, Highway Safety Division in Traffic Enforcement. Not only did he outline his police career path, Provincial Constable Nederveen, a four year veteran of the Golden Helmet Precision Motorcycle Team, demonstrated precision skills on his 2014 6 speed transmission, 900 pound Harley Davidson police special (or FLHTP, "P" for police) to the class. He discussed the care and maintenance of his motorcycle and shared some of his experiences as a traffic enforcement officer on Ontario highways.

A native of Hamilton, Provincial Constable Nederveen started his policing career in 1988 with a Northern Ontario assignment and has served in 8 different detachments across the province as a member of the Emergency Response team, the Marine Unit, and has been with the Motor Unit for the past 8 years. Provincial Constable Nederveen has been recognized with both the St. John’s Medal for Life Saving and the OPP Commissioners Citation for Life Saving for his role in saving two citizens in separate life threatening situations.

The grade 11 Physics classes had the opportunity to visit the McMaster Energy Engineering Technologies Program facilities on the McMaster University campus. This inaugural “MAC Talks Energy” reach-ahead activity welcomed the classes to view demonstration labs with a presentation by faculty professor Dr. Singh and a tour of the Process Automation stream areas, led by a new robot named “John.”